Pipe nipple chuck



Nov. 6, 1951 H. WEIBEL ETAL 2,574,001

PIPE NIPPLE CHUCK Filed Jan. 12, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 33 I INVENTORS J4 35 HERMAN WE IBE L BY ANTON J. JA IV/K F/G. 4- j- M Nov. 6, 1951 w L ETAL 2,574,001

PIPE NIPPLE CHUCK Filed Jan. 12, 1950 V 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INV TORS HERMAN W B ANTON J. JA

xzg Patented Nov. 6, 1951 z'si tou PIPE NIPPLE CHUCK v Herman Weibcl, Lakewood, and Anton J. J anik,

Elyria, Ohio, assignor pany, Elyria, Ohio s,to The Ridge Tool Com- Application January 12, 1950, Serial No. 138,182

This invention relates to tools and more particularly to a chuck for holding a short section of threaded pipe or a stud while working on the other end.

In the threading of a short nipple, or stud,

after the first end has been threaded, it is impracticable to cut threads on the second end without holding the work piece by the previously threaded end. Therefore, it is desirable to have a device for gripping the threaded end so that the work piece will not turn while the other end is being threaded.

Prior devices included split bushing arrangements where the threads were grasped by a threaded bushing split longitudinally and having a clearance between the bushing parts. These prior devices usually comprised a considerable number of parts. In order to tighten them about athreaded nipple or stud, the bushing was usually provided with a screw and nut arrangement which clamped the parts together. The ultization of the device was a comparatively slow operation.

Other devices utilized a stop member, the pipe being threaded in the bushing and abutting the stop member in order to prevent further movement. This stop member could then be removed from engagement with the pipe end by some external means, and the nipple could be unscrewed from the chuck or bushing. The release means often included eccentric cam members, and the like, and some of the devices utilized the tightening action of two different pitched threads, one on the stop and one on the pipe in a common sleeve. This screwing the sleeve on the threads of different pitches brought the two pieces (nipple and stop member) closer together to clamp the nipple or unscrewed to release it.

Our invention comprises a new type chuck in the general class of those having pipe thread engaging parts and stop members releasably held against the end of the nipple. However, our chuck instead of being normally open or in the released position, is normally closed or in readiness to receive the end of the pipe which may then be threaded and released. As a result, the pipe can never be inadvertently inserted into the chuck and be jammed in place because the chuck was not properly adjusted to receive the pipe. Since the resetting of the present chuck is provided automatically, it is virtually impossible with the present device to have a pipe become jammed in the chuck. H

In addition to its use as a nipple chuck, the device may similarly be used as a stud chuck to 2 Claims. (CI. 81-53) I I hold the threaded end of a stud while the other end is threaded. An additional use might be to set the stud, i. e., to be used as a wrench to turn the stud into the hole where it is to be placed. The description of the device as a nipple chuck is, therefore, not intended to limit it to such use. A more complete understanding of our invention may be had from the following figures throughout which like parts are designated by like reference characters.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of our invention;

Fig- 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the stop in its released position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5a. is a fragmentary View similar to Fig. 5 showing an alternative type of pin;

Fig. 5b is also a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 5 showing another pin corresponding to those of Fig. 5a;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the nipple chuck; and

Fig. 7 is a view showing the chuck assembled for carrying.

Briefly, our invention comprises a chuck which is normally in condition to receive a threaded end of a piece and needs no adjustment before receiving the piece. Release of the piece is accomplished by release of a stop member by cam or. wedge means, thus allowing a nipple or stud to be unscrewed from the chuck. The cam means forreleasing the stop is operated by turning a rotatable sleeve a few degrees by means of handles provided for that purpose.

More specifically, and in connection with its use as a nipple chuck, our device comprises a body portion II having one end I2 formed with fiat surfaces I3 adapted for engagement with a pipe ,vise or the chuck of a power drive, or'any other type of vise. An adjustment ring I4 is rotatably disposed on a larger diameter outer surface near the midsection of the body portion. An annular groove I5 .is cut into this larger diameter section to receive a spring I6 and its end connections more fully described hereinafter.

The inner surface of the body I I is formed with a borev I1 extending from the vise engaging end I2 through the body. At the opposite end, this bore is enlarged by a counterbore I8 in which threads I9 having the same pitch as standard pipe. threads are cut. The diameter of the bore, and the threads are of such proportions as to holes 22 of several sizes, each adapted to receive A counterbore'23 is' a different size of pipe. provided to receive a stop member 25 more fully described hereinafter.

when the adapter is in place may be formed with a hexagonal or square head or aknurled sura face to make removal and replacement more.

convenient.

The stop member 25 isslidably disposed in the bore I"! and counterbore I8 having a central portion 25 of such diameter that it is freely slid-' able in the counterbore' I8 and an end 21 freely slidable in the central bore H. An annular groove 28 is provided around the end 21 and the surface 29 between this groove 28 and the central portion 26 is formed with a chamfer to match the surface 2% of the body portion of the chuck. The end sll which extends into the threaded portion of the counterbore, is preferably formed to fit inside a pipe of the largest diameter'to be held by the chuck but large enough to abut the end of the next smaller size pipe to be used.

Sliding wedge pins 32 are slidably disposed in holes in the body portion II. While three pins are shown, and preferred because the pressure will be equalized among them, still it is apparent that more could be used, without exceeding the scope of our invention. These pins are formed with a fiat surface 33 tapered at approximately the same angle as the chamfered surfaces 29 and 29. At the tapered end, the pin is formed with a portion 34 of smaller radius than that of'the body so that the pin may slide into the groove 28. It will be apparent that this formation is not necessary, but it is preferred, since the groove 28 may then be made narrower and therefore the stop made smaller. Arcuate surfaces 35 are provided for the other end of the pins 32 for sliding engagement with the ring I4. The holes for these pins 32 in the body are located longitudinally in a position such that, when the pins are disposed in the holes with the arcuate surfaces 35 flush with the outer diameter of the body, the tapered surfaces 33 force the stop member 25 outwardly a short distance so that the chamfered surface 20 is spaced somewhat from the surface 29 (Fig. 2). It is apparent that a withdrawal of the pins 32 slightly, from the holes will allow the stop member to retreat. to+

ward the surface 2!? almost to the point of engagement between that surface and the surface 29 on the stop member (Fig. 3).

The ring M. is disposed about the body II covering the ends of the wedge pins 32 and normally holds these pins inward in the closed position as shown in Fig. 2. Cam slots 36 are provided, however, in the plane of the pins 32 which will register with all the pins simultaneously. These slots are deep enough that the pins will retract to the position of Fig. 3 when the slots 36 are in register with the pins 32.

The ring is normally held in the position of Fig. 2 by means best shown in Fig. 5. The compression spring I 6 is disposed in the groove I5,

The surface-Moi the adapter 2I which remains outside the body" II and is engaged at its ends by ball ended pins. The first pin 31 is pressed into the body portion II at the groove l5. The second ball ended pin 38 is pressed into the ring I4 and is engaged by the other end of the spring I6. Thus the spring tends to keep the pins 31 and'sa apart. A stop pin 39 is pressed into the ring IA in position to engageithe pin 31. when the cam slots "36 are outof register with the wedge pins 32.

A second stop pin 40 engages the pin 39 upon turning the ring to the proper release position Thus the spring I6 urges the ring I4 and body II into a position where the pins 32 are held inward andytherefore, the stop member '25-is in-pos'ition' to hold the end of the pipe nip- Peg's 41 are provided to turn the ring against ple.

. the spring torelease the stop from the end of the nipple, and an auxiliary handle 42 adapted to slipover the pegs 4| may be provided for additional leverage should the chuck be particularly hard to'open at any time.

It will be obvious to" those skilled in the art that thepins-BI and 38 need not be ball ended. As

illustrated in Figs. 5a and 52;, straight ended pins 31 and 38' may be used. If this typepin is us'ed-,-- it is preferable that the stop pin 39 have one end 43 chamfered so that it and the pin 31 do not engage at a sharp edge but on the chamfered surface. Some of the pins are shown in thefigures with ribbed ends engaging the surrounding metal and some with smooth ends. It will be recognized that this is not a limitation of theinv'ention but that either can be used interchangeably. The ribbed end is preferred because-itengages the surrounding metal more firmly, but the plain ended pin could be shrunk intoplace or otherwisefixed.

To assemble the device, after the pin 3'! and stop pin 4%! are pressed into the body H and the pegs H fixed intothe ring 14, the stop member 25 'lS' '-pl1t'in place in the bore and counterbore I8. The sliding pins 32 are then placed in their holes and pushed completelyin. The spring It is -laidin the groove'l5 and the ring I 4 is slid over the body I I. The ring is then turned so that-the'pin' 3B may-be pressed in beyond the end 'of the spring It; When this pin 38 is in place, the ring is turned against the spring so that the stop pin- 39 may be inserted into the ring behind the ball ended pin 31. It should be noted that'the sliding pins 32 are sufficiently long that, even in their fully retracted position, they-still project into the groove 28 sufiiciently to retain the stop member 25 in place.

For ease in disassembly for repair or replacement purposes, the ball ended pin 38 is formed with a head 45. It is obvious that this pin could be threaded into the ring I 4 as well as pressed in as described above. Still another alternative is illustrated in FigLShwhere the pin 33 is headless. A hole 46 having a diameter larger than the pin may then be provided in the body member II through which the pin 38 may be driven fordisassembly. To disassemble, then, the pin 38 is first withdrawn or the pin 38 driven in, releasing the spring IS. A slot 44 is provided into the groove I5, and the stop pin 39 is brought into register with this slot, and the ring M can then be slid off the body portion II and the complete device-disassembled.

' The operation of the. assembled device is clear. With the device in its normal or closed position, and the proper adaptor 2I screwed into place,'the threaded end of thenipple or stud is screwed into the hole22 against the stop member 25. The piece may then be threaded while the flat surfaces l3 are held in a proper vise. After the threading operation, the work piece is released by turning the ring 14 until the sliding pins 32 retract, thereby releasing the stop member 25. Since the threads in the tapped hole 22 are a loose fit with the threads on the work piece, the piece can then be unscrewed from the adaptor 2! by hand. The ring is then released to spring back to its closed position ready to receive the next piece. To adapt the chuck to receive any other size piece a different ada'ptor 21 may be screwed into place and the operation of the device is the same.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the mode of operation would be exactly the same for threading a stud as for a nipple. The device may also be used as a stud or nipple wrench by clamping the stud or nipple in the device, then threading the stud or nipple into its mating female thread, using the handle 42 for leverage to provide the requisite torque. The wrench may then be released in the same manner as a stud or nipple would be released from the chucking action of the device.

In order to adapt the device for ease in carrying, a hole 50 is drilled through the face of the stop member 25. This hole is smaller than the smallest pipe which is to be held in the chuck.

The hole 50 extends into a larger hole drilled from the rear of the stop member and which is large enough'that the auxiliary handle 42 may slide easily into it. The handle 42 is tubular so that when it is slipped into the hole 5|, there is a continuous opening extending through the device. It is then possible to thread the chuck over one arm 53 of a carrier 54 similar to the one described in the Patent No. 2,219,721 issued October 29, 1940, to Carl H. Ingwer and Clyde E. Wright. This carrier works somewhat on the principle of a common safety pin to hold the chuck and the accessories including the handle 42 and a series of adaptors 21. A grip 55 may be provided for additional ease of carrying.

It is apparent that we have provided a chuck adaptable to many sizes of work pieces and which is normally in a closed position which will prevent jamming of the device. It is very convenient to use and to carry and requires a minimum of extra parts to change from one size to another.

Having thus described our invention, we are aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A tool of the class described comprising a body adapted to hold a workpiece and formed with a central bore, a stop plug slidably disposed in said bore, said plug being formed with a cam surface and a pin-receiving portion adjacent said cam surface, a plurality of wedge pins slidably disposed in said body and having tapered surfaces adapted to engage said cam surface, said plug having a part on the side of said pin-receiving portion adapted to engage said pins to limit the movement of said plug, and ring means rotatable on said body formed with cam surfaces adapted to engage the ends of said pins to move them and thereby to determine the position of said plug.

2. A tool of the class described comprising a body formed to provide a central bore, adapter means threaded into said bore at one end of said body, a stop plug slidably disposed in said bore having an abutment face toward said adapter means, said plug being formed to provide a frustro-conical cam surface thereon, and an annular groove adjacent said cam surface, a plurality of wedge pins slidably disposed in said body radially thereof, said pins extending into said groove and having a tapered surface adapted to engage said cam surface on said plug, ring means rotatable on said body and having cam surfaces adapted to engage said pins, and spring means engaged between said ring means and said body to urge said ring means to a position in which said pins are urged towards the longitudinal centerline of said. bore.

HERMAN WEIBEL. ANTHONY J. JANIK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

